I can't see myself leaving Barcelona - Neymar

Forum 7 years ago

I can't see myself leaving Barcelona - Neymar

Having rejected advances from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, the Brazilian superstar says he cannot now picture himself away from Camp Nou

Barcelona star Neymar says it is difficult to imagine himself leaving the club despite the interest of Europe's elite.

The Brazil international signed a new five-year contract in June that commits him to Camp Nou until 2021, which ended months of speculation over his future.

Wagner Ribeiro, one of the forward's agents, claimed in the past week that both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain had been prepared to break the world transfer record to sign the former Santos man.

Indeed, a staggering offer from PSG included the prospect of €40million per year, tax free, as well as a private jet and a stake in a global hotel business, Ribeiro said.

However, having pledged his future to the Spanish champions, Neymar says it is hard to picture him playing for anyone else.

"I don't see myself away from Barca. It's not something I've pictured yet," he told reporters. "I feel like an important part of the team and hopefully I can help them more and more."

When asked if the figures in the proposal from PSG were true, he said: "I cannot confirm that because I don't like talking about figures. I've already said that, yes, I was in talks with many different teams and I chose to stay here, where I feel at home.

"As I said, I belong to Barca and I'm really happy here."

Neymar went on to reveal the pressure he felt as part of the Brazil side who were thrashed 7-1 in the World Cup semi-final by Germany on home soil two years ago.

The 24-year-old says the spirit within the team is now stronger, however, with new head coach Tite having steered his side to back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins over Ecuador and Colombia - results that have moved them back into the top five in FIFA's World Ranking.

"Brazil are always going to have quality players.

We didn't win the World Cup and so there was a lot of pressure on the group. We have a great team and a great coach now," he said.